Plectrums, or picks, for a stringed instrument, such as a guitar, banjo, harp and the like, have long been used as an alternative to one's fingernails to pick or strum the strings. These plectrums are useful devices for a user who wishes to play a stringed instrument.
Typically, a user chooses a plectrum according to its characteristics, type of strings used on the instrument, and his style and technique of playing.
A common plectrum is a flat piece of material, which may be made from plastics, wood, bone, shell, metal or any other suitable material. Plastic plectrums have become very common in usage and its suitability for use with nylon strings further make them popular. Metal plectrums are hard and; rigid, and are mostly suitable for metal strings. These materials have their own characteristic stiffness and are used to produce different tones and texture of sounds.
Conventional plectrums are also made in various shapes. The typical shapes are triangular or oval (or melon-seed or tear-drop shapes). There are three factors that affect the characteristic sound a plectrum may produce: the gripping point between the thumb and finger; the distance of the playing edge from the gripping point; and the thickness at the playing edges.
The problem with a flat plectrum is the difficulty of having a good grip between the thumb and finger. This affects the accuracy of picking the individual strings of the musical instrument. To overcome this problem of providing a good grip, especially for a plastic moulded plectrum, the prior art has shown the use of knurling or texturing the gripping point. Another method is to provide an aperture at the gripping point. By providing a good grip on the plectrum, this enables the user to accurately pick the string to produce a particular note and allows him to express his style and technique of playing confidently.
The size of a plectrum is another factor. There is a trade off between the size and ease of gripping a plectrum. A large plectrum provides a larger gripping area but its size impedes the agile pivoting of the plectrum between the thumb and finger. On the other hand, the gripping area of a smaller plectrum is limited although the smaller size provides better dexterity to the user.
These conventional plectrums are commonly described as “thick”, “medium” and “thin” with thickness of substantially 1, 0.7 and 0.5 mm respectively. For example, for use in playing a guitar, a “thick” plectrum produces louder and more powerful sounds, such as for solo or lead roles. A “thin” plectrum produces a gentle and soft sound, such as for acoustical background sound. The “medium” thick plectrum may be used for normal or common sounds.
A typical plectrum has a limited number of playing edges. A playing edge is often located at an end of the plectrum. When a variety of tones or sounds are required, the user is required to alternate between a number of playing edges available on a plectrum. Otherwise, he will have to change to a different plectrum whilst playing the instrument. This may be necessary when the user desires to produce sound texture, ranging from, for example, heavy-metal rock type to the soothing strum of the 12-string acoustic guitar.
The plectrum of this invention alms at overcoming or at least alleviate some of the above shortcomings or problems of conventional plectrums. An aim is to provide the user with control and variety in the generation of the tone and quality of a stringed musical instrument with the aid of a plectrum.